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Can Uniforms Save Our Schools?

The New York City
School Board recently voted to require students in all city elementary
schools to wear school uniforms beginning in September 1999. The unanimous
ruling, which is expected to affect more than a half-million students
in the nation's largest school system, is the most recent development
in a trend that is rapidly spreading across the country.

Eleven percent of 958 elementary and middle schools who responded to
a recent survey
conducted by the National Association of Elementary School Principals
(NAESP) have a school uniform requirement and another 15 percent are
considering such a requirement. Based on the results of that survey, NAESP
estimates that more than one fourth of elementary and middle school students
in at least ten states attend a public school where uniforms are either
already worn or are under serious consideration. The survey further revealed
that most of those schools adopted their uniform policies within the past
two years.

DESIGNED TO SET NEW STANDARDS

"School uniforms are one step that may be able to break this cycle of
violence, truancy, and disorder..."

-- President Bill Clinton

Much of the recent increase in school uniform requirements can be attributed
to the efforts of President Bill Clinton. In his 1996
State of the Union Address, Clinton called upon school leaders to
make uniforms an important part of their efforts to improve school safety
and discipline. In late February of the same year, he issued a memorandum
to the U.S. Secretary of Education, directing that the government's
Manual
on School Uniforms be distributed to each of the country's 16,000
school districts. And in his 1997
State of the Union Address, Clinton announced his 10-point plan for
education, which included a directive encouraging the adoption of school
uniforms.

Clinton -- along with many other legislators, educators, and parents
-- believes that uniforms can increase student safety and enhance the
learning environment in our nation's schools. Those in favor of school
uniform policies say that uniforms decrease violent behavior caused by
disputes over expensive clothing, minimize overt symbols of gang activity,
reduce classroom distractions, improve student behavior and attitudes
toward learning, and help school officials identify those who don't belong
on school property. In addition, they say, uniforms improve school spirit
and enhance the school's image within the community.

UNIFORM POLICIES

Many of those assumptions have been strengthened by reports from Long
Beach, California, the first school district in the nation to institute
a mandatory uniform policy. School officials there say that, since 1994,
when uniforms were first required, school crime has decreased by 76 percent,
assaults committed on school property have dropped by 85 percent, incidents
of school vandalism have decreased from more than 1,400 to less than 100
a year, and average attendance has reached an all-time high at nearly
95 percent.

Based largely on those reports, other school districts have begun to
follow Long Beach's lead. In Dade County Florida, 90 of the county's 300
schools have mandatory school uniform policies and another 90 recently
voted to adopt them. In San Antonio, Texas, all of the city's 60,000 students
will be required to wear school uniforms beginning next fall. In Houston,
Texas, nearly 70 percent of schools have adopted a mandatory uniform or
dress code policy. In addition, individual schools with mandatory uniform
policies can be found in Seattle, Baltimore, Kansas City, Memphis, and
many other U.S. cities and towns. At least 10 states have enacted legislation
enabling individual schools or school districts to draft school uniform
policies and even more are considering such legislation.

NAYSAYERS ABOUND

Not everyone is convinced, however. Some educators suggest that the
results of the Long Beach experiment may be affected by other changes
instituted at the same time as the school uniform policy. Experts such
as Ray C. Rist, a professor of education and sociology at George Washington
University, also warn about other factors that may have influenced the
Long Beach experience. In a January 1998 Education Week article, Rist
discusses the implications of the "Hawthorne effect," which states that
a group of people who are treated in a special way may behave differently
because of that treatment. In other words, Long Beach students may behave
better simply because they are the focus of so much attention. "No one,"
says Rist, "has ever been able to establish that uniforms, in and of themselves,
can result in a dramatic reduction in crime."

Loren Siegel, director of public education for the American Civil Liberties
Union (ACLU) agrees, saying "No empirical studies show that uniforms consistently
produce positive changes in student behavior over the long run."

Those experts and others suggest that measures such as violence prevention
courses, closer links between schools and local law enforcement agencies,
smaller classes, better facilities, and tighter school security are much
more effective than school uniforms in preventing school violence. And
they warn that many school districts may see uniforms as an easy solution
to a much more complicated problem.

Some students seem to agree. In focus groups conducted by the ACLU,
high school students were asked for suggestions for improving their schools.
The students cited a need for more extra curricular activities, improved
security at school entrances and in school corridors, increased discussion
of issues such as racism and cultural differences, establishment of successful
jobs programs, and instruction in conflict resolution techniques. School
uniforms were not included on the students' list.

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS?

Despite those concerns, protests, and unanswered questions, the trend
of requiring school uniforms appears to be growing. Many educators seem
to agree with New York school board president William Thompson Jr. who,
while admitting "It isn't going to replace good teaching, good principals,
small classrooms, or any one of dozens of things," says "The policy creates
a better educational climate." Simply put, with or without more significant
changes, many believe that student attire affects students' attitudes
and that school uniforms are the best way to encourage students to do
their best work.

And, it may not end there. If a recent New
York Post article has anything to say about it, uniforms won't be
an issue that's just for students anymore. The article suggests that it
may be time to consider school uniforms for teachers as well!